The Power of One
by Jennifer Young
Summary: Liz and her son, Timmy are in trouble. Who better to call on than the Tenth Doctor? Before everything gets fixed, though, it's off to another dimension to fight off a mysterious evil and attend a local Comic Con...


**The Power of One**

 _Prologue_

He entered the curious blue box, fresh from the latest adventure… Wait… That was his life- an adventure. He'd no sooner tucked his sonic screwdriver into his coat pocket, when the TARDIS phone rang. He quickly made note of the month, day, time, and spatial coordinates before answering, but that really wasn't necessary. He recognized the ringtone.

"'ello? Yeah? REALLY?! No, no, Liz, listen to me. Listen. Calm down. No, it's no trouble. I just have to flick a few buttons, pull a few switches, and I'll be there. Yeah, you should pack a suitcase. Ok. Bye." With that, the Doctor hung up the phone, punched a few buttons for the date, time, and universe, and pulled the lever.

The TARDIS made that lovely, grinding noise she always did when traveling. He could never figure out why…

 _Chapter 1_

"Come on Timmy, we need to get ready," Liz said. By now, the Doctor had already punched in the coordinates and was more-or-less on his way.

"Where are we going?" asked her ten-year-old son.

"Uncle John is coming to get us," she said.

"Yay! Uncle John! What are we doing this time Mommy? Daleks, the end of the universe, Weeping Angels?"

"I don't know, but—"

Just then, they heard the grinding noise that could only mean one thing. Hope had arrived.

They each grabbed their suitcases, Timmy grabbed her hand, and they ran outside, where he was waiting for them. Timmy broke free and ran at the Doctor at a full-tilt run. The Doctor scooped him up and hugged him.

"Let's go inside," he said to both of them.

He let Timmy go and told him to go find a room. Timmy had done this before. Knock on the wall and ask the TARDIS nicely; she'd oblige.

When he had gone off, the Doctor sat Liz down.

"He'll be fine," he said.

"I know. It's just that… They want to put him in an asylum… Just because he doesn't pay attention, or act right… I feel like it's my fault… I mean, I know he's different, but he's-"

"He's brilliant. It's you humans. You're all brilliant. You're headed toward a similar evolution we Time Lords did. But humans fear what they don't understand. They try to control it with drugs and electrical shock when all children like Timmy need is understanding."

She nodded. She remembered the first time she had met him. She hadn't known what that noise was, the TARDIS' arrival. He'd popped his head out scanned the area with his sonic screwdriver, and said, "Yep. I'm in another spatial dimension again."

She'd had no idea who he was talking to… Himself, the TARDIS. Then he'd looked up, offered his hand.

"'ello, I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor who?"

He'd chuckled, as if sharing some inside joke with himself, and said, "Exactly. Now, if I get my coordinates right, I'm in an alternate universe, technologically advanced, correct?"

"I don't know about the alternate universe thingy, "she'd said, mentally stumbling on the concept. "But we have a technologically forward society. We have harnessed the power of steam to power our electronic gadgets."

"Brilliant!" he'd said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He'd scanned again, a high-pitched hum emanating from his hand-held device. He looked at it. "And according to this, Miley Cyrus has never been born…"

"Miley who?"

"Teen pop star, scandalous clothes and actions… It's best you don't know the rest. Also, the words 'twerk' and 'selfie' were never invented."

"What do those words mean?"

"They're grammatically incorrect slang. It's best you don't know."

He'd seemed mad then, but looking at him now, after having fought Daleks with him on their last adventure, she knew he was incredibly sane compared to those she knew who had almost no common sense. He did go off on tangents, but those tangents eventually had a purpose. She needed that purpose now.

"So what do we do now?"

The Doctor grinned at her, punched a few buttons, and pulled a few levers.

"I have an idea, but first, we go on adventure!"

The TARDIS only answered with the metallic pulse of her engine.

 _Chapter 2_

They walked towards the back rooms of the TARDIS. Liz neither asked where they were going on their adventure nor what he planned to do to help Timmy. If there was anything she had learned from her previous adventure, it was to trust The Doctor. The presently came upon a blue door that was exactly like the TARDIS' exterior door. It was open a crack.

"That's odd," said The Doctor. "I usually keep this closed."

He opened it a little more, and there, on the TARDIS-blue sheets, curled up under a gold coverlet, clutching his teddy bear, was Timmy, fully-clothed, one shoe off, one on. Liz went over, and gently slipped his other shoe off.

"He's a good kid, Liz. The TARDIS wouldn't have let him in otherwise."

"I know. I just wish the school would give him a chance."

"Human schools don't allow for independent thought. They just want cookie-cutter kids. Mold them and push them out into work-a-day jobs. Not everybody fits that."

"The school wants him 'fixed'. I love him just the way he is."

"He will do great things, I'm sure of it."

"I'm tired. It's been a long day."

"Lay down next to him. I'll fly the TARDIS." With that, he left.

Liz undid her dress, then made short work of her corset. Next came her first unrestricted breath of the day. How corsets had stayed in fashion so long, she would never know. Her only relief from the strictures of fashion and life seemed to be not only life with Timmy, away from the pressures of society, but sleep. And, thus, in her nightdress, in the safety of the TARDIS flying through time and space, curled in the Doctor's bed with her son, she drifted off, thinking only that he was the love of her life and she would do everything to protect and defend him.

Liz awoke and her son had already gone. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't at home, and that she didn't have to get her son up to dress him for school and feed him breakfast. Fortunately, she hadn't packed a corset, that is, besides the one she had initially worn. She had packed an under-bodice of her own creation, which had all of the support, but wasn't tight. Next was a lightweight dress. She left her hair down. She didn't need to dress her hair. The TARDIS was home.

She walked down the hall, to a kitchen she hadn't noticed on her last visit. The Doctor and her son sat around a table, eating bowls of Lucky Charms. The Doctor finished his bowl and drank the milk.

"I love these! Somehow, the TARDIS produced these for him. Never had them before."

Liz slapped her palm to her face. The Doctor was, apparently, on a cereal-induced sugar high. As if he needed any more energy!

"How many bowls have each of you had?"

"Well," said the Doctor, gesturing at Timmy with his spoon. "He's had only one. I'm on my third."

Liz took away the Doctor's bowl.

"That's it, mister," she said, putting on the mom voice and putting the bowl in the sink nearby. "No more cereal for you."

"All right, then," he said, pouring her a bowlful and putting on entirely too much milk. "Eat up. We've got an interesting day ahead."

"Like what?" Timmy asked.

The Doctor lowered his voice and put his finger to his lips. "Shhh. It's a surprise."

Timmy seemed to pout for a bit, but put his hand in the Doctor's. They all headed towards the control room. This man, so old, still could eat sugary cereal with the best of them. He was protector, savior, yet still knew how to be a child.

She trusted him to help her and Timmy, but on one level, it bothered her that he had yet to present a solution, as if he had yet to come up with it. Their upcoming adventure was unknown as well. Perhaps it could be a sublime getaway on some unknown planet. Perhaps there would be Weeping Angels there. Who knew? With the Doctor, there was always an element of danger and uncertainty.

 _Chapter 3_

The TARDIS had stopped. Liz could tell by the way the floor felt. When the TARDIS was in motion, the floorboards hummed beneath her feet. When still, there was no such feeling. Timmy started to rush ahead, but the Doctor held him back.

"Hold up there, lad. We have no idea what's out there. Best if I go first, but before I do…"He licked his finger and stuck it up in the air. "Welcome to Marietta, Ohio… Oh! We're in the year 2013… In another universe." He scanned the area with his sonic screwdriver. "This looks like the inside of the Lafayette Hotel. Yep. That's it. All right. Safe enough. Allons-y!"

He grabbed both their hands.

"Wait," said Liz, noticing the flaw in the Doctor's logic. "Number one: we're still in the TARDIS and licking your finger only works if you're outside and trying to see which way the wind is blowing; and number two: shouldn't you be looking at the monitor to make certain?" She was not going outside of the TARDIS with her child, into parts unknown, unless the Doctor made certain of the details.

The Doctor ran over to the view screen; she followed him. He punched in the numbers, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and said, "There you go. Just as I said." She saw that he was right.

"Now keep in mind, in this universe, corsets haven't been worn in about half a century, give or take, women wear pants, oh, yeah, and they have all the gadgets you do, but nothing's steam-powered. Timmy, stick close to me or your Mum. We will not have you getting lost in another universe. Your Mum will have my head on a silver platter."

"Listen to him, Timmy. I know how sometimes, in spite of what adults tell you, you have your own mind, but you never know who or what we might run into. Stick close."

"Got it Ma. Got it Uncle John." Timmy said.

They walked out of the TARDIS and into a ballroom where some sort of convention with hundreds of people were gathering around tables, people were selling things, and various sundry other activities. From across the room, there was a female shout of, "THERE HE IS! THERE'S THE DOCTOR!" That was all the three of them knew before the mob of fangirls began to descend upon them.

"I'm sorry. RUN!" he said, grabbing both their hands.

They ran out the door of the ballroom, made a left, and made for the door that lead outside to the hotel parking lot. Then, they dashed to the back of the parking lot, into the alley that ran behind the businesses on the front of the street, toward the harbor and under the old, unused train bridge.

After they caught their breath, Liz asked, "What was that about?"

"I forgot. In this universe, -unlike yours where some people know and believe I exist, have made a television program for those who don't, and generally accept me and leave me be- the program was made first. Fans wish I exist, or pretend to be me, or mob me."

"You're a celebrity!" said Timmy. "I know a celebrity." He put his thumb and index finger to his lips and made a zipping gesture. The Doctor smiled.

"The solution is," said the Doctor. "If we go back there, and we're going to have to because my sonic screwdriver is going nuts—"

"I didn't hear it, "said Liz.

"I have it set on vibrate. Anyway, as I said, WHEN we go back there, we have to blend in. With you two, it's no problem. Everything about you and your universe is what they call 'steampunk' here. So, you'll blend in fine. Me, I'll have to pretend I'm not me, but _playing_ me. It's called cosplay. This event is what is called a ComicCon. It's short for 'comic convention'."

"What are we looking for when we get there?" asked Timmy.

"A dimensional vortex. It's sort of a hole in the wall with a blue, spiral, swirly thing in the middle. But, we won't be able to look for it during the convention. It will be after hours. In the meantime, let's go do some cosplay."

 _Chapter 4_

They walked into the hotel through the door by which they had left. Liz didn't know about this, considering the mob they had previously tried to escape. There were costumed people everywhere. Some were dressed as what the Doctor called superheroes, their outfits ranging from loudly-colored to tight and shiny, almost rubbery. In the case of the women and girls, all of the costumes were slightly shocking to her, yet, on another level, she was envious of them.

All her life, she'd had to cover her ankles. After she'd been presented to society, gone had been the freedom to wear her hair down, at least in public. Tom, her husband, had let her wear her hair down at home and didn't mind if she went uncorseted . In fact, he thought the whole convention absurd. He'd often said to her that women should be happy with their figures, and not try to lace themselves up to the point of pain. He'd also said that hairpins were clearly a method of torture, judging by the relief she seemed to feel at their removal. In public, they'd gone by the conventions of society, but their home was their sanctuary.

Tom had died two years ago, and it was still hard for both her and Timmy. Tom had occasionally walked home from work. He hadn't needed to work, as his family was one of the more well-to-do families in the city. He'd enjoyed writing, and was employed by the newspaper both writing a human-interest column and updating their online presence. When the weather was nice, he'd often walked home. The driver of the car that had hit him wasn't drunk. He was just talking on his mobile phone. Liz had since forgiven the driver, but in losing Tom, she had lost her intellectual equal and the love of her life...

It had been hardest on Timmy. Tom had been a wonderful father. Even when he had been dog tired, he'd always made time for Timmy, albeit a few minutes. After Tom's death, Timmy didn't really grieve. Liz had been so deep in her own grief that she hadn't noticed at first. When, after nearly six months, he'd kept to himself at school and pretty much stayed in his room, she'd realized that her child's grief wasn't normal. He didn't even go out to play with his friends anymore. She hadn't been sure how to help him. That was when they had first met the Doctor.

He'd said he'd been travelling in the time vortex, when he'd heard Timmy's crying echoing through the time vortex and into the TARDIS matrix. He'd said that after the nonsense about Miley what's-her-name and that mumbo-jumbo about words that didn't make sense.

Then he'd taken Timmy aside, away from her, and spoken with him, his voice soft and gentle. That had been just what Timmy had needed. The Doctor had lent his wisdom to her son, then taken them both on an adventure. From then on, he'd been "Uncle John", and Timmy seemed a little better.

Thanks to the Doctor, they had both been opened up to new adventures. She had never before dreamed that she would even see a Dalek, much less know what one was. This dimension and this convention was a type of fun she never would have known existed had she not met the Doctor.

The day went on, and they sat in on something called a panel for the show like the one in her universe. Someone named David Tennant, who looked like he could be the Doctor's cousin, was answering various questions that the audience posed.

The Doctor raised his hand.

"Yes… the gentleman who looks like he could be my brother?" Tennant said.

The Doctor stood up. "If the Doctor stumbled into another universe and ended up at a ComicCon and ran into an actor who looked like him who played him, how would he deal with it?"

"Well, if you remember from the episode ' _The Next Doctor'_ , the Doctor found somebody who thought he was the Doctor, Jackson Lake, and there have been a few instances in the classic Doctor Who, such as ' _The Three Doctors'_ and ' _The Five Doctors'_ , where he has run into himself, so, I'd say he'd accept it as a byproduct of that particular universe and interview the actor."

"Thank you," said the Doctor, and sat down. Liz smacked her forehead with her palm. He had definitely had too much sugar. No more Lucky Charms for him if she could help it.

 _Chapter 5_

After the convention died down, they entered the TARDIS almost unnoticed, and waited until nightfall, when the hotel staff was reduced to a few security guards, who were mostly concerned about the main areas where the convention was being held, and the bartender in the bar on the main level. After two a.m., she would be off duty.

The Doctor had determined that the stairs would be best, as, to the average eye, they would be mistaken for hotel guests who had accommodations in conjunction with the convention. Timmy had not come with them, as it was past his bedtime. The TARDIS was locked from the outside and she'd been more than happy to babysit.

Liz could feel the heaviness of the air from the spirits who still resided here. However, there was something else, something more dark and sinister, something that fed off the hauntings here, and elsewhere in the city. It was using their energy for some other purpose. She didn't need a sonic screwdriver to know that it had been the best choice to let Timmy sleep within the safety of the TARDIS.

There was something else the Doctor wasn't telling her about why Timmy had to stay in the TARDIS. Liz had a feeling that the Doctor already knew, or at least had some idea of, what or who they would be up against, and that it would be detrimental to Timmy. The Doctor had previously noted that he felt that her son was brilliant. Maybe he didn't want whatever it was that lurked here to use Timmy for its own evil ends.

They were on the bottom level in the dark, with only the Doctor's sonic screwdriver for light. Yet, as they wound around, they needed it less for that purpose. There was an odd, blue glow, and voices beyond those of the lost spirits still here.

"Stick close, now," he whispered. "It's up ahead."

He didn't have to tell her what "it" was, for, at the end of the hall was the source of the blue glow, a pulsing vortex, spiraling in and out of their universe. From within, they heard whispers, almost snake-like, almost as if many different someones were speaking with many different snake-like voices. Yet, it was not a cacophony, but in unison. She couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Hide," the Doctor whispered. "They're coming through."

They both hid, just in time to see the creatures. They were hideous, humanoid in appearance, with gray, luminous skin. Just beneath the surface, they had scales. Their lips, were blood red, all of them. Their hands were long-fingered and had claws instead of nails, with hair-thin spikes imbedded in the pads of their fingers. The Doctor shivered. If the Doctor was afraid, Liz had just cause to be.

One sniffed the air, then began to speak, its collective voice almost a snake's rattle. "This is indeed the right place and time, ripe with spirits, ripe with the living, on which we shall feed. And…" it sniffed. "…there are others, one with a long life and two heartbeats, a child who has the capacity to destroy us or forever nourish us, and a woman, just as gifted, who would protect the young one with her life…"

The Doctor said a name under his breath, and although she couldn't hear the name of the species, it was his tone. His tone said that things were dire, very dire indeed. Liz wondered for a moment if this was one enemy that the Doctor wasn't sure he could defeat.

"We must get to the TARDIS immediately," he whispered. They slipped away as quietly as they could, although Liz had no doubt they were heard. When they got to the ballroom and into the TARDIS control room, the Doctor kept his hushed tones.

"They remind me of the Gelth," said Liz.

"No. They are very much NOT the Gelth. They are the Stalyx. The Gelth just possess human bodies so they can exist. The Stalyx are much, much more sinister than that. Do you know of vampires?"

"Yes."

"Energy vampires?"

"Yes."

"These are worse. The Stalyx are energy vampires that not only suck the energy out of you, but the literal LIFE out of you. Your energy goes, and your body turns to dust. They can wipe out a whole city or a civilization for that matter, and all they need is a way in."

"A way in?"

"Any world that has a high concentration of left-over souls, ones that don't cross over into the next life, incarnation, dimension, or whatever you believe in, the Stalyx can feed on them. They can feed on high concentrations of pollution, conflict, and pandemics. In fact, the most war-stricken or disease-stricken timelines or dimensions are at risk." He punched a few keys on the TARDIS console. "This is not the first time or place they have hit here."

He showed her a map with locations and years on them, including Britain in the fifteenth century during something called The Black Plague; the early American Colonies in the sixteen-hundreds at a place called Jamestown, Virginia; and the eighteen-hundreds in San Francisco, California during an epidemic of a disease called cholera. Those three marks were just the tip of the iceberg. All of those times and places had something in common: all those extra people could be chalked up to disease, mysterious happenings, or war, and would not be easily missed.

It made Liz sick to think that this was not the only dimension they were targeting. They were worse than the Weeping Angels. At least they were a nice sort of sinister. They let you live.

"Are Timmy and I at risk? I heard them… talking."

"You, definitely. Timmy is at risk more so than you. You can hear and sometimes see spirits, yes?

She nodded.

"And you can turn it off, choose not to see them, mentally shield, right?"

She nodded again.

"Timmy can't."

She could see by the Doctor's face that he was stuck. He couldn't figure out how to defeat the Stalyx, at least not yet. The Doctor's admission that Timmy was in serious danger bothered her. What had been left unsaid was that the Doctor was in worse danger. She hated to think what would happen if the Stalyx got their hands on a Time Lord.

 _Chapter 6_

 _The voices from the portal whispered through the basement floor of the hotel. To the human ear, only the whispering could be heard, without any recognition of the tongue in which they spoke._

 _"_ _We shall be successful this time. The whole civilization of these… these… humans… shall be obliterated," said one voice._

 _"_ _There are the three to consider, the Time Lord, the woman, and the child," said another._

 _"_ _First, we shall consume the woman and her psychic energies as an appetizer, then the child as the main course. Finally, we shall feast upon the Time Lord, gorging ourselves on the time energies that encompass him. Yes, he shall be the tastiest dessert, for he is the last of his kind. He shall be indeed delicious, for he sees all of space and time. Then, with his abilities within us, we shall have the capacity to traverse ALL of space and time, thus consuming all within it. We shall conquer, and then, we shall rule, oh yes, we shall rule ALL of space and time and FEAST!"_

 _There was a massive chorus of cheers and hisses._

 _The only ears that heard this were those of the Doctor and his companions as it echoed through the TARDIS translation matrix. Timmy woke from his bed, very frightened, and ran to the TARDIS control room and hugged his mommy very, very tight._

 _The only words from the Doctor's lips were, "We need to stop this. Now."_

 _Chapter 7_

Even though his attention span ranged from short to, when he was really concentrating on something, long, Timmy was brilliant, and, usually a sweet kid. He had his moments when he could be forceful, brought on by a tantrum usually triggered by something that didn't play out the way he, in his head thought it was supposed to happen.

Timmy was afraid. Liz knew this, and knew that he knew something outside the TARDIS was dangerous to everybody inside. She knew what was next, and knew that it had the potential to go very quickly awry.

"Uncle John, I wanna go. There are bad things outside. I can hear them. But I need to go, "he said.

"No, no, absolutely no. I forbid it. Timmy, you have no idea what you're walking into, "said the Doctor.

"I WANNA GO! I HAVE TO GO! IF I DON'T GO, SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN!"

Timmy started crying and throwing a tantrum. The Doctor knelt down and put his arms around Timmy, hugging him until he stopped crying.

"There's no need to get upset. Do you think you can be helpful, I mean, are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, Uncle John," he said quietly.

"If your mum says you can go, I'll let you go."

"I don't like it," said Liz. "But you must stay with us; stay as safe as you can."

"I will protect you as much as I can, "said the Doctor. "But if the time comes where it seems dire, you run, got it?"

"Got it," Timmy said.

They all gingerly left the TARDIS, the Doctor first, his sonic screwdriver at the ready. Timmy and Liz were close behind him, Timmy's hand in hers, holding tight.

They made their way downstairs, heading toward the blue glow of the dimensional vortex and the danger of the Stalyx's voices. When they reached the vortex and stood before it, the Doctor began to speak.

"I know who you are. I know what your race has been doing and what you're trying to do, and I can assure you, it will not work. I am the Doctor. I am the Oncoming Storm. This Earth, this dimension, they are under my protection. They are defended!"

"Well spoken, _Time Lord,_ " came the ophidian speech from the vortex.

The lone Stalyx emerged, almost mesmerizing in her beauty, yet hideous in the evil that emanated from her. Liz felt her child's fear as he clung to her.

"However," came the voices, speaking in unison as they emerged from the dark, a legion of beautiful males and females, all reeking of the sinister. "We shall prevail! We shall be glorious! We shall be—"

"You _shall_ be dead!"

Quietly, to Liz and Timmy, he said, "Just remember, they are not immortal. Any way you can injure them will at least distract them."

Liz and Timmy nodded. The Doctor knew from their last adventure about the knife she kept in her boot, and how quickly she could retrieve it. She was especially adept at throwing it. She knew that the Doctor knew how well that knife could gum up the works of a Dalek. What he had not yet seen was the dagger in her bodice, which she had thoughts of handing to Timmy if the need arose.

She had taught him to use such things in self-defense, but had discouraged him from bringing such things to school. He had gotten some practice in with her using wooden knives, and had gotten quite good at throwing the real ones at targets. They even had a room in their house, to which only they were privy, where they could practice not only that, but shooting a crossbow at a target. Timmy even had his own crossbow, which she had custom made for his size and draw. She now regretted having not suggested that he pack it. If she had, he would have had it at the ready.

The Doctor pulled an electronic box out of his pocket, punched a few buttons, set the sonic screwdriver on it, and activated the sonic screwdriver. A beam of light hit one of the Stalyx square in the chest, disintegrating it.

The next events seemed to Liz as though they were occurring in slow motion. She pulled out her boot knife, hurled it at another Stalyx, killing it. She threw herself into the zone. She and Timmy were a team. He would either kick or punch a Stalyx and she would zoom in and kill it, retrieving her weapon. She saw beams of light around her as the Doctor used his box-and -sonic screwdriver weapon repeatedly. However, as quickly as they would defeat one batch of the Stalyx legion, another would come through the portal. She knew she and Timmy were quickly tiring. She could only guess that the Doctor's strength was waning as well.

The Doctor turned to Timmy, looked him in the eye, and said, "Run, Timmy! Run to the TARDIS. Run FAST!"

"NO!" he yelled. "I'M NOT LEAVING YOU! I'M NOT LEAVING MOMMY!" He started kicking Stalyx, then ran to the Doctor and made a grab for the sonic screwdriver.

"No, Timmy. Timmy, don't take that!"

Timmy disobeyed the Doctor.

"Timmy, stop! Listen to me. Listen to Mommy. Go to the TARDIS."

"NO!" He yelled, yanking harder on the sonic screwdriver until it was free of the Doctor's tight grasp.

One of the Stalyx came at Liz and Timmy jumped in front of her.

"No, Timmy!" she screamed.

Timmy didn't listen. He seemed no longer afraid of the Stalyx with the Doctor's sonic screwdriver in his hand aimed at the creature.

"LEAVE MY UNCLE JOHN ALONE! LEAVE MY MOMMY ALONE! LEAVE ME ALONE! LEAVE EVERYONE ALONE! YOU ARE A **MEANIE!"**

His face was bright red, and one of his fists was balled up as tight as she'd ever seen it. He pushed the button on the sonic screwdriver and screamed at the top of his voice. She literally saw the scream coming from his mouth, rippling in waves at the sonic screwdriver. The tool directed that energy at the whole legion of Stalyx, including the leader, who had been calmly watching the whole battle as though it had been nothing. Within seconds, the whole legion had been shattered. The beam seemed to penetrate the vortex, ricochet back, and out, destroying the portal, it seemed for good.

Liz was amazed. This was the only time one of his temper tantrums had come in handy. She'd had no idea he was that powerful.

"Imagine that," the Doctor said, awed. Timmy handed him back the sonic screwdriver, which the Doctor used to scan the area where the portal had been. "He wiped out the whole race."

He reached down and ruffled Timmy's hair. "Good job. I wonder what a thing like that would do to the Cybermen?"

"I'm sorry to disobey you and Mommy though, " he said.

"In this case, it was well-warranted," said the Doctor.

"Just this once," Liz said smiling. Both she and the Doctor each took one of Timmy's hands and they headed for the TARDIS.  
 _Chapter 8_

Liz had two options. She could either stay in this universe, or she could go home to hers. She'd asked the Doctor, and he'd informed her that she and Timmy had not existed in this universe. It would be a fresh start. The Doctor had said he could provide her and Timmy with the appropriate documents, conveniently archived years prior to their arrival. He could arrange a residence in the same trip. All they would have to do would be to go home and tie up some loose ends.

Liz was torn. The Doctor and his TARDIS would be the only gateway between worlds. She and Timmy would have to leave many family and friends behind, as their counterparts in this reality either did not exist or had led different lives. She would leave it up to Timmy. Today was his eleventh birthday, so it was his decision.

The Doctor had taken it upon himself to speak to her son. She certainly hoped she would know soon. For now, her only companion was the grind of the TARDIS' engine.

Timmy sat with Uncle John on his bed. On his lap was a present in silver wrapping paper which, to other eyes, would look like concentric circles in no particular pattern. To Timmy, it was language. Thanks to the TARDIS translation matrix, he could see the circular designs lift off the paper and rearrange themselves into words.

They simply read, "Happy Birthday Timmy!"

"What's in it?" he asked.

"That's all the fun of a present. If you know what it is, it spoils it," replied Uncle John.

Timmy pulled the ribbon from the package, but hesitated at the paper. One of his greatest joys was to rip the wrapping paper from his presents. This paper was too pretty.

"One of my greatest joys as a lad," said Uncle John, "was to rip the wrapping from my presents. Do you know how old I am?"

"How old?" he asked. It wasn't often that grown-ups told you their age.

"Over nine-hundred years old," he replied.

Timmy's mouth dropped.

"It's been a long time, yeah," he mused. "Anyway, I still enjoy ripping the wrapping off of my presents, regardless of how nicely they're wrapped."

Timmy grinned and tore at the paper. He opened the box beneath, and a golden glow emitted from it.

"Breathe," instructed Uncle John, "but just a little."

Timmy did as he was told.

"That is pure TARDIS energy. If you take the whole lot of it from the TARDIS, it will kill you. However, if you take a little-"

"-it makes my head feel clearer, Uncle John. I feel… how do I say it?" finished Timmy.

"Focused? Tuned in?"

"Yes," said Timmy. "Exactly."

The glow had cleared from the box. Timmy noticed a small, rectangular device, similar to his mum's. It was a cell phone.

"The energy was a gift from the TARDIS. This is from me," Uncle John said.

He picked up the phone and scanned it with his sonic screwdriver. Timmy loved the whirring sound the sonic screwdriver made. Uncle John looked at him. Timmy knew this look. It was a look that Timmy often ignored in his teachers that said there was something serious to be said. For some reason, Timmy decided to pay attention.

"There is a time to run, and that is when there is danger or when it is time to play. There is a time to be loud and a time to be quiet. There is a time to fight, and a time for peace. The time to fight is only in defense of yourself or those you love, got it?" his Uncle said.

"Other times, it gets people in trouble, like me," Timmy acknowledged, hanging his head.

Uncle John lifted Timmy's chin with his index finger.

"Brave heart, Timmy. You can change things."

"How? Oh, Uncle John, I'm in so much trouble and I don't know how to fix it. Mum cries herself to sleep at night. She thinks I can't hear, but I know. I always know."

Timmy was crying uncontrollably now. Uncle John hugged him, rocking him until his tears slowed a little.

"Your Mum is tempted to stay in this universe, but doesn't know if she wants to leave everything she knows behind. What do you think?"

"I dunno, Uncle John. It would be so easy, yet so hard," Timmy replied.

"Think on this, then. Is it better to run from problems or from danger?"

"Danger," he quickly replied.

"Right. So this phone is tuned into the TARDIS. If you feel happy, sad, mad, or any old emotion, I want you call, all right? Because I want to hear about it from you, okay?"

"Okay. So if someone hurts my feelings, call you after school instead of kicking them?"

"Yep. That's right. It's better to think before you speak and act."

A shadow passed across Uncle John's face. Timmy knew his uncle spoke from experience.

"What happened when you didn't think?" he asked.

"A lot of people died, Timmy. A lot of people died."

 _Chapter Nine_

Timmy walked out of the Doctor's room, then sped up as he got closer to Liz. Something was slightly different.

"What," she said, pausing for emphasis, "did you do, Doctor?"

"Not my idea," he said quickly. "The TARDIS decided to give him a little something to balance him."

"You could have asked me first," she said, touching the TARDIS' control panel.

"She thought you'd be freaked out," said the Doctor.

"Yeah, just a little," said Liz.

"It's okay, Mum. He gave me this," Timmy said, holding up the cell phone. "He says I should call him if I need to."

"So, Timmy," said the Doctor, "Where are we going?

"Home, I mean, in our universe." Her son then glanced at the Doctor, then addressed her. "Someone told me that it's better to face your problems than to run from them."

"Allons-y!" the Doctor said grinning as he pulled the lever on the TARDIS control panel.

It took a little longer to get back home, and Liz had noticed there had been a side trip on the way. All she had known was that the Doctor had run out the TARDIS door with his hair a perfect spiky mess and his outfit neat. He had come back with his hair (if such a thing were possible) even more askew, one shoelace untied, his tie undone, and a rip in the sleeve of his suit jacket. He'd looked himself over, as if this were ordinary, made some remark about getting a new suit, and came back, looking as though he'd never left. Even though this seemed slightly off, Liz knew this was how he always was—slightly off.

"Here we are, home, more or less," said the Doctor as he opened the TARDIS door. "Out you get."

Liz had a brief flash to his earlier escapade and put her hand in front of Timmy, who was ready to run out.

"What?" the Doctor said.

"What did you do earlier?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said.

Liz knew better. The incident earlier had been a whole lot of nothing.

He took their hands and led them out of the TARDIS.

"See, nothing has changed. Well, not much."

"Again, what did you do?" she asked.

"Relax, Liz, it's not going to rip any holes in the fabric of space and time. I'm a responsible Time Lord. But you'll like things."

He let go of Timmy's hand, then picked him up, hugging him tightly.

"Now, if you need anything, call me," he said. Then, almost as an afterthought, he said, "Oh, and no matter how silly or stupid it sounds, do what your teachers say. But if they seem like an alien, call me, and I'll check." He gave his sonic screwdriver a little twirl.

"And you," he said quietly to Liz, "call me. And not just for emergencies. Let me know how all this turns out."

She hugged him.

"Thank you," she said, "for everything."

"My pleasure," he replied, entering the TARDIS and waving once more as he shut the door.

They watched as the TARDIS made her groaning sound, then began to fade.

"Will we see Uncle John again, Mum?" her son asked as they walked toward their house.

"I'm certain of it," she said.

 _Epilogue_

Timmy came running into the living room.

"Slow down," Liz said, "What did I tell you about running in the house?"

"Not to do it," he said.

"What is it now? What has you so excited?"

"Well, I talked to Uncle John and—"

Just then, they heard it, the familiar groaning of the TARDIS' appearing. It became unnecessary for Timmy to finish his sentence.

"Come on," she said, grabbing his hand.

The TARDIS finished materializing and the Doctor stepped out.

"Where have you been?" Liz said, "We haven't seen you in six months."

The Doctor waved his hand around.

"Eh, here, there, everywhere… Had to kiss a Zygon."

"A what?" Liz asked.

"A Zygon. You know, big, red, covered in suckers, and surprisingly, a good kisser."

"Why would you want to kiss one?" asked Timmy, disgusted.

"She- it- was Queen Elizabeth I…

Or at least I thought she- it- was. I don't remember why else."

"Oh," said Timmy. "Ew anyway. Kissing."

"Come in for a bit of tea?" she asked the Doctor.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," he said.

Liz sat back and sighed. Timmy had told the Doctor everything he had done both in and out of school twice. He and the Doctor had played until bedtime. Then the Doctor had tucked Timmy in and assured him that he would be there in the morning.

Afterwards, the Doctor asked Liz if he could stay a few days and take a mini-vacation.

"Why?" she asked, "Is the universe wearing you out?"

"It's not the universe, Liz; it's the saving of it. You have no idea what it's like to have every moment in time and space burning inside of you, to hear all those people in trouble, needing your help."

"It wears you thin. Take your vacation. Spend it with us."

"How's Timmy getting on?"

"It's the weirdest thing. It's as though they- everybody- don't remember the way Timmy used to act. Did you have something to do with that?"

"I may have," said the Doctor.

Liz punched him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You changed something, didn't you?"

"I may have altered some memories, used some psychic paper."

"You couldn't resist, could you?" she asked.

"Nope," he said.

"Thank you, though," she said. "All his teachers say he's brilliant."

"We knew that," he said.

"We did. They say he has a lot of energy, but he's a joy to have in class. He listens better. He's not perfect, but he is himself."

"And that's all we can hope for," he said.


End file.
